Un Fond Farewell
by Zakaru101978
Summary: Colonel Marsh gives Edward a confusing book filled with codes so he can find someone named Jacob to get rid off for the Philosopher stone. Will Edward do it. Character death eventually.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the characters. This is just a fanfiction.( Well, yeah. That's obvious) **

Chapter One: The Book

Two familiar figures were walking down a snow covered street. One is armor, clanking with every step he took. The other a short blonde with a bored look on his face. They both had to stop walking because Colonel Marsh was in their way, offering them both each a book on something.

'Probably another alchemy book.' Al thought as he looked at the Colonel with his red glowing eyes as he took the book. "What's this?" Al asked the Colonel, now looking down at the book in his hand. 

Edward wasn't in the mood today to talk to anyone in the Military. He looked up to Marsh with a scowl. 'Why are people bothering me today?' He just wanted to find the lead to the stone and get he hell out of here. This wasn't any place they were going to find one. It was a small quiet town and nothing seemed to be happening. " What?" Ed said rudely to the Colonel.

"Try your rude comments toward me again and I'll make sure you're search ends." Marsh said. "I have an assignment. And the reward," He paused for a moment. "is what you seek." He finally finished.

'It wasn't that rude. We've been bothered all day.' Al thought as he looked over to his brother then back to the Colonel. "Is it a lead on the stone, sir?" He asked, his voice echoing off the armor. At leased one of them had to be polite to the Colonel.

Edward took the book reluctantly, he moved back to skim the pages and he looked up. "An assignment? My reward? " The Full metal was still taking the initial meet in. Though he tried to stop being rude there was still a slight conjuncture of in his voice had still a slight edge to it. "Just tell me what it is, and get out of our way." He said plainly and clearly, with his golden eyes browsed in an expression of seriousness.

"Well Alphonse," he smirked slightly toward the armor. "It's the stone itself." he said. "I just need an assignment done. And an equivalent reward is the stone." he said.

Al gasped softly. It was almost not even audible. 'Does he have the stone? Can our search finally be over?' Al looked over to his brother. 'We could finally get back to normal.' He looked back to Marsh. 

Edward held the book and kept his expression on Marsh. He didn't want to give the response he was looking for that he was looking for. "What's in it for you?"

The Colonel's eyes grew colder and his smirk had faded. "I just need you to take care of something."

" I said: What then? " He had restated, simply distinguishing his interest in this and his now dwindling patience.

"It is someone that cannot live. Just take him out, and then I'll give you the stone." He said, his tone was now cold, but not as cold as his eyes.

"You mean kill someone for the stone?" He asked. 'Brother won't agree to that. He doesn't want to kill anybody. And I don't want to kill anyone either. Why else would we be trying to find another way to find the stone?' He thought.

" I ..." Ed stumbled upon his words as he became speechless. He didn't want to kill anything, but... "I...who?" He halted his speech and looked at Al for help to say something, but the dull armor appeared nothing as armor to him and no expression could be found on his metal. He turned back.. "Who?" He was a bit surprised to hear himself say that.   
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Marsh still had a cold look on his face that sent a chill up your spine. "I've said too much already about him. I'm sure what I have said will help you enough. He will be easy to find if you actually read what's in your hands, Mr. Elric." Marsh then turned to leave.

"How are we suppose to find him if we don't even know a description. At least give us his name." Edward said, kind of lost in thought and frustrated that he couldn't be told who this guy was. Also wondering what he should do and if he should let Al also be involved with his decision.

Marsh turned back to him, one last time and said, "Jacob. His name is Jacob." He said simply and turned back and walked on.

Al stood there, watching Marsh walk away. He turned to his brother, his helmet clicking from turning it. "Brother, are you really going to after this Jacob guy? I mean, you don't want to kill anyone for it, would you?" He asked, his voice echoed off the armor. He sounded confused and a bit nervous to what his brother would say.

"Let's talk about this later, Al. Let's go." Edward turned in the opposite direction of Marsh and started to walk away, holding the book tightly in his hand. He looked lost in thought.

"But brother.." Al was interrupted by Edward turning quickly, almost throwing the book at him.

"That's enough, Al!" He said. His tone was harsh. He decided not to throw the book, since when he threw a cup at Al, he regretted not thinking before he did it. He turned again, glaring and walked, not even bothering to look back to see if Al would follow or not.

Al sighed and followed him to where they were going. He stayed a few feet behind his brother, not wanting to make him any madder than he already was. 

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After about an hour of silence and walking, they made it to a hotel. Ed checked in and they walked up to the room. Edward quickly went to the desk in the room and sat down. He set the book on the desk and opened it and began to read it.

Al walked into the room, seeing his brother already with his nose into the book. He sighed again and sat down and leaned against the wall. He didn't make a move or sound.

The book Edward was reading was filled with equations about random alchemy and notes that seemed to have nothing to do with a person. Just alchemy that was either basic or too weird to understand at 11:20 at night. After about an hour or so of reading the first page, trying to figure it out, he groaned loudly with frustration and shut the book. He stood up and took off his shoes and took off his trench coat and hung it on the chair. It fell as he crawled into one of the beds and quickly tried to get to sleep, without saying a word to his brother. He couldn't look at him now. Not with what was on his mind at the moment.

Al got up as quietly as he could so he wouldn't wake up Edward or make him mad. He still was making some noise because of his armor clanking against the ground and hitting some other part of the armor. He walked over to the book Marsh gave them to look over. He opened it and saw all the equations and notes. He saw why his brother was mad at it. "He expects us to find this guy with this? Even if we did figure it out..." He paused and looked at his brother, who was sleeping now, silently. "Would he want to go after him?" Al shut the book and went to sit back down against the wall again, to wait and see what would happen tomorrow. He sat and leaned against the wall and his red eyes faded as the he went to sleep.   
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Al woke up quickly and looked around. Edward was already up, wearing his trench coat and his shoes, reading the book again, now in about ten pages of the complicated book. "Have you figured anything out yet, Brother?" He asked. He didn't want to ask him his decision. Al knew what his decision was probably going to be, whether he liked the outcome of it or not. 

"Not really. All of this has nothing to do with a man named Jacob, unless it's in code like Marco's notes." He said, not lifting his head from the book, turning the page and continued reading. "If we could figure out Marco's notes, I can figure out these also." 

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This is my first story. It is a bit short but I promise the next chapter will be longer. Criticism is perfectly fine. Don't flame me though please.


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